


Cultural Misunderstandings

by katmarajade



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Birthday Presents, Established Relationship, F/M, Humor, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 16:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2857727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katmarajade/pseuds/katmarajade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After observing that humans like soft, furry animals, Gaila gets Hikaru a tarantula for his birthday. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cultural Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [igrockspock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/igrockspock/gifts).



> This was such a fun prompt and I always love writing these two! I hope you enjoy it. I've been rewatching Buffy lately and Anya (whom I know you also love) gave me a lot of inspiration for Gaila's characterization here, so she gets a couple little shout outs.

Four months together and Gaila is starting to think she's in love. A lot of people don't understand what the bubbly Orion mechanic and the steady-as-she-goes human pilot have in common, but Gaila thinks maybe their differences are what keep it so interesting. That and lots of great sex, of course.

Hikaru strives to understand Gaila's Orion culture, and he has the ability to explain human culture in a simple way that is never condescending. That is not to say they don't have their fair share of conflicts and misunderstandings, because they certainly do. But the way Hikaru always stays so calm and collected even when he's upset is one of the loveliest things about him.

Wanting to express her appreciation and continued desire, Gaila is trying to ascertain the perfect gift for Hikaru. His birthday is in only a few days, and she's learned that celebrating birth is a very important ritual for humans and that gifts are a common and expected aspect of the ritual.

To help in her search, she asks her classmates at the Academy what sorts of gifts would please a human boyfriend and would also indicate her continued affection and desire. She gets a wide variety of answers. Most of them are variations of sex and candy, but they already have a great deal of very good and exciting sex and Hikaru, like her, dislikes most sweets. Other suggestions include flowers and cuddly, furry animals. Though Hikaru loves flowers, he has an entire dorm room full of them (and overflow in the botany lab). However, he does not have any cute, furry, cuddly creatures!

Gaila stops by a pet store the following day to assess her options. There are many fuzzy animals available on Earth. She pets a kitten but thinks Hikaru might not appreciate the sharp claws. She holds a squirming puppy, but between the loud yipping noises and the propensity to slobber and chew on things, she doesn't think it's a good choice for Hikaru. She doesn't even bother to hold the bunny rabbit, as its twitchy little nose freaks her out. She asks if they have any animals that are lower maintenance, and she definitely does not comprehend the smirk or sarcastic tone when the store attendant suggests a tarantula.

When he takes her over to the cage, she sees the quivering, furry black creature and almost claps in delight. It's so cute and small! And she knows that Hikaru will appreciate how it has eight legs—eight! Eight is a very important number to Orions and Gaila is sure she's found the perfect present.

Hikaru's birthday dinner is the following evening. They share Orion nettlewine at a local bar that Gaila loves, where they enjoy the impressive dancers who leap across the stage with such strength and grace, twirling long, flowing, colorful sashes around their bodies. After drinks, they proceed to one of Hikaru's favorite restaurants for dinner. It's a bit quiet and dark for Gaila's tastes, but she recognizes that these are important marks of a romantic atmosphere for humans, which makes everything more enjoyable.

When they finally get back to her dorm room, she is almost bouncing with anticipation.

"I got you a present! Birth is a gift occasion for humans, right?"

Hikaru smiles and looks pleased. "It is, yes. Thank you."

Uhura had explained that gifts should be wrapped in colorful "gift wrapping paper" and that this was an important part of the gift giving experience. Hikaru smiles at the large gift-wrapped shape on the table, and with Gaila's encouragement, tears into the paper.

Clutching her hands together in excitement, Gaila is startled at Hikaru's uncharacteristic reaction. He lets out a choked scream and backs away from his new pet.

"It's called a tarantula! Do you love it?" Gaila asks, beaming.

"Spider. Spider. You got me a spider for my birthday!" Hikaru speaks very quickly and his tone is uneven and his eyes are twitching oddly. Gaila frowns.

"But it's furry and small. I was assured that humans are very fond of small, furry animals and keep them as pets." Gaila frantically tries to recall her previous conversations about animals in case she missed something important.

"Gaila," Hikaru says in his serious tone, the one he uses when they're about to have an important discussion about culture. He pauses, seemingly unsure what to say, and repeats himself. "Gaila."

"You don't like it, do you? It is a bad gift. But why?"

"It's just … I'm terrified of spiders, Gaila."

Gaila blinks in shock, glancing back and forth between the tarantula, cowering in a corner of its cage, and her brave, beautiful, broad-shouldered, sword-wielding, starship-flying boyfriend. Remembering earlier advice from Uhura, Gaila pats Hikaru's shoulder encouragingly.

"I support you, Hikaru." He gives her an odd, exasperated look and she offers her brightest smile. "Do you want to have sex instead?"

He lets out a little laugh and Gaila starts to pull him towards the couch. Then he stops her, glances back at the tarantula on the table, takes a deep breath, and says,

"Let's go back to my place instead. I can't do this with that thing … all those creepy eyes. It's watching me." 


End file.
